The CD market has been flooded in...

The CD market has been flooded in recent months with “oldies” collections, but Rhino Records--the king of special packaging--has come up with a novel twist.

The label’s ambitious new budget-line series carries the flashy, authoritative logo of Billboard magazine, whose weekly sales charts have been seen as the industry standard for the past 30 years.

Each volume in the series sells for under $10 and is devoted to the hits of a single year. Five volumes, covering 1957 through 1961, are already in the stores, with five more volumes due next month.

Unlike many compilations that include secondary hits from the era, this series--compiled by Joel Whitburn, the Wisconsin-based publisher of pop research books--concentrates on the blockbuster hits. Added coup: The first five volumes contain a total of six tracks by Elvis Presley, whose hits rarely appear on “oldies” collections. Other hits on the 1957 package include Chuck Berry’s “School Day” and Jerry Lee Lewis’ “Whole Lot of Shakin’ Going On.”

The drawback is length. Because the sets (also available in vinyl and cassette) contain only 10 songs each and most singles in the ‘50s and early ‘60s ran less than three minutes, the discs run only about 25 minutes each. The 1958 volume is less than 23 minutes.

About the brevity, Gary Stewart, vice president of artists and repertoire for Rhino Records, said, “As always in these cases, it’s a question of amount of tracks versus price. If we put on more songs, we’d have to move the albums out of the budget category because of the high licensing and publishing fees when you’re dealing with material of this caliber. We wanted to maintain the under-$10 price.”

The next five volumes will cover 1955, 1962, 1963, 1966 and 1968. The reason some years are missing is because of licensing difficulties involving certain major acts of the period, notably the Beatles, Stewart said.

BONUS TRACK I: Slash Records is releasing on Sept. 20 the first two X albums--”Los Angeles” and “Wild Gift” on a single CD at a $17.98 list price. . . . Aretha Franklin’s “The First 12 Sides”--songs recorded before her late ‘60s success at Atlantic Records--and Janis Joplin’s “Farewell Song”--an often overlooked but touching collection of assorted tracks--are among the latest entries in Columbia Records’ CD Collector’s Choice budget series. The Joplin CD includes a 1967 medley of “Amazing Grace” and “Hi-Heel Sneakers.”

BONUS TRACK II: “Folkways: A Vision Shared,” the Columbia Records package featuring 14 interpretations of Woody Guthrie and Leadbelly songs by such contemporary pop-rock stars as Bruce Springsteen and U2, will get most of the attention this fall, but Smithsonian/Folkways Records is releasing the original versions of the 14 Guthrie/Leadbelly songs plus six more numbers by the writers in an album titled “Folkways: The Original Vision.” The CD, due Oct. 1, carries a $17.95 list price. The album, also available in vinyl and cassette, will be distributed on a limited basis in record stores, or can be ordered from Birch Tree Group Ltd., 180 Alexander St., Princeton, N.J. 08540.